2022 West Virginia elections

2022 West Virginia elections

← 2020 November 8, 2022 2024 →
Registered1,156,147[1]
Turnout42.91% (Decrease 20.34%)

West Virginia held elections on November 8, 2022. Elections for the United States House of Representatives, as well as the House of Delegates and 17 of 34 Senate seats were held. These elections were held concurrently with other elections nationwide. Primary elections were held on May 10, 2022.[2]

Federal offices[edit]

House of Representatives[edit]

Following the 2020 redistricting cycle, West Virginia lost one seat in the House of Representatives, leaving two seats up for election. Incumbents Carol Miller and Alex Mooney were re-elected to the 1st and 2nd districts respectively, while David McKinley of the old 1st District was defeated by Mooney in a primary.[3]

State legislature[edit]

State senate[edit]

17 of the Senate's 34 seats were held for election in 2022, including 9 Republican-held seats and 8 Democrat-held seats. Two Democrats, Bob Beach of District 13, and Mike Romano of District 12 retired, while one Republican, David Sypolt of District 14 retired. Gaining 7 seats, Republicans expanded their supermajority to 30 of the chamber's 34 seats, taking all Democrat-held districts except for District 5, and winning 16 of the 17 seats up.[4] After the election, Democrat Glenn Jeffries changed his party affiliation to Republican, increasing their majority to 31 seats.[5] Minority Leader Stephen Baldwin was one of only two state legislative leaders to lose a general election in 2022.[6]

Senate elections:      Republican gain      Democratic hold      Republican hold
West Virginia Senate
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican Craig Blair 23 30 Increase 7
Democratic Stephen Baldwin 11 4 Decrease 7
Total 34 34

House of Delegates[edit]

All 100 seats in the House of Delegates were up for election in 2022. 14 incumbents, including nine Republicans and five Democrats, retired. Republicans gained ten seats in the 2022 election, increasing their majority from 78 to 88 seats. 2022 was the first election in which all members of the House of Delegates were elected from single-member districts.[7]

House elections:      Republican win      Democratic win
West Virginia House of Delegates
Party Leader Before After Change
Republican Roger Hanshaw 78 88 Increase 10
Democratic Doug Skaff 22 12 Decrease 10
Total 100 100

Ballot measures[edit]

In 2022, four amendments appeared on the ballot, which were all rejected by voters.

Amendment 1[edit]

The Clarification of the Judiciary's Role in Impeachment Proceedings Amendment would have amended the state Constitution to remove the ability for a state court to review the Legislature's decision in impeachment trials.[8] The amendment was defeated by a nearly 16-point margin.

Amendment 1
Yes
  •   50-60%
No
  •   50-60%
  •   60-70%
Amendment 1[9]
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 269,316 57.81
Yes 196,519 42.19
Total votes 465,835 100.00

Amendment 2[edit]

The Property Tax Modernization Amendment would have amended the state Constitution to authorize the Legislature to exempt machinery and other tangible property used in business activity from ad valorem property taxation.[10]

The amendment was defeated by a 29-point margin.

Amendment 2
Yes
  •   50-60%
No
  •   50-60%
  •   60-70%
  •   70-80%
Amendment 2[11]
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 309,007 64.51
Yes 170,013 35.49
Total votes 479,020 100.00

Amendment 3[edit]

The Incorporation of Churches or Religious Denominations Amendment would have amended the state Constitution to authorize the Legislature to incorporate churches and religious denominations.[12] The amendment was defeated by a 9-point margin.

Amendment 3
Yes
  •   50-60%
No
  •   50-60%
  •   60-70%
  •   70-80%
Amendment 3[13]
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 253,379 54.55
Yes 211,147 45.45
Total votes 464,526 100.00

Amendment 4[edit]

The Education Accountability Amendment would have amended the state Constitution to require the state Board of Education to submit policies to the Legislature to approve, amend, or repeal.[14] The amendment was defeated by a nearly 16-point margin.

Amendment 4
Yes
  •   50-60%
No
  •   50-60%
  •   60-70%
  •   70-80%
Amendment 4[15]
Choice Votes %
Referendum failed No 275,683 57.86
Yes 200,791 42.14
Total votes 476,474 100.00

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Nov2022" (PDF). sos.wv.gov. November 30, 2022.
  2. ^ "2022 Elections Calendar" (PDF). West Virginia Secretary of State. May 10, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "Trump-backed US Rep. Alex Mooney wins W.Va. GOP primary". AP NEWS. May 10, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  4. ^ McElhinny, Brad (November 9, 2022). "Republicans dominate West Virginia Senate races". WV MetroNews. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  5. ^ McElhinny, Brad (December 1, 2022). "Republicans add one more to their mega-majority in the state Senate, as Glenn Jeffries switches". WV MetroNews. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  6. ^ "Election Day 2022: Results for Legislative Leaders". www.ncsl.org. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  7. ^ "West Virginia House of Delegates passes historic single-member district map". WOWK 13 News. October 14, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  8. ^ "Amendment 1: The Power To Impeach". WVPB. November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  9. ^ "Election Night Reporting". November 8, 2022.
  10. ^ "A Final Preview Of Amendment 2". WVPB. November 7, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  11. ^ "Election Night Reporting". November 8, 2022.
  12. ^ "Amendment 3: Allowing Church Incorporation". WVPB. November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Election Night Reporting". November 8, 2022.
  14. ^ "Amendment 4: Deciding Authority Over W.Va. Public Education". WVPB. October 24, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  15. ^ "Election Night Reporting". November 8, 2022.

External links[edit]